book 1 ✔︎
book 2 ✔︎
book 3 ✔︎
PART OF ME - you become so emotionally close to someone that you feel like they are literally a part of you, like a half of your heart. You don't want to live without them - you can't.
Aviana Ember wouldn't know this fe...
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I stare in horror as Axel stands between us and his dad, his legs shaking, but his shoulders back, more courageous than ever. His knuckles are still covered in the mesh wrap as he hold onto the weapon, ready to use it. I wouldn't be surprised if he did, if he really did slash the end against his father's throat if he dared to touch his mom or sister again.
It's almost comforting how dedicated he is to keeping them safe, but I'm terrified too. I want to go up behind him and hold him, let him fall apart in my arms and tell his father to fuck off. I want to reach in my pocket and dial 911. I want this to have never happened.
But his dad stands there and laughs, clapping his hands. "Look at you, little boy, all grown up."
Axel doesn't budge, and stands his ground. He glares at his father and declares, "this ends here, tonight!"
His dad chuckles, his body shaking, his lips curling up into a hideous smile, and I realize Axel looks nothing like him. "What are you going to do?" He spits the words at his son. "Where do you think you'll get the money from for your mother's treatments? For your sisters daycare? For university? Where will you go? Your aunt's? Like she'll take you in. You're a lost cause, you foolish child." Axel doesn't say a word, but it's almost as if I can see his heart sink through his back. "Hmph," his dad shakes his head. "Get out of my fucking house!" he hollers, "and take them with you! I should never have married your mother! She ruined my life with useless baggage and our huge mistake of a child. We could have been happy. But you ruined that for her."
Axel's arm drops to his side and his shoulders slump. I think he's going to cry for a second, but he doesn't; he just stands there and waits for his dad to leave the kitchen and trample down the wooden stairs to their basement.
The kitchen is completely silent, only the sound of the television rising through the air vents.
Jem is still in my arms, and I almost panic at the thought of her being dead, but when I gaze down at her little body, big, glossy eyes stare back at me as she clutches the material of my sweater.
Axel lets the bottle slip from his hand and crash to the ground, and turns slowly to his mom, kneeling before her, taking her hands into his. "You can open your eyes, mommy," he murmurs, his voice shaking, about to break.
Mrs. White opens her eyes and sees her son and smiles, lifting her hand to dab the blood from his nose with the hem of her white shirt. The blood seeps into it and they sit there for minutes, just the two of them, Axel breathing deeply, in and out, and she follows his lead, colour returning to her cheeks.
"Be brave," he tells her, "take Jemmy out to my car. Can you do that for me?"
